Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine if mid-lumbar spine chiropractic manipulative therapy (CMT) has any impact on exercise science measures. 

 

Methods: Ten male and ten female college students were equally randomized into an AB:BA crossover study design. Ten participants were in the AB group and ten were in the BA group. The study involved one week of rest between each of the two conditions, A (bilateral side-posture L3 CMT) vs. B (no CMT) preceding a treadmill exercise test. Outcome measures were exercise heart rate, Rating of Perceived Exertion, Blood Lactate Concentration (BLC), and exercise time to volitional exhaustion. A dependent samples ttest was used to make comparisons between A vs. B conditions.

 

Results: No statistically significant difference was shown among any exercise science measures, although BLC was lower at higher exercise intensities post-CMT.

 

Conclusion: The results of this research preliminarily suggest bilateral side-posture CMT to L3 among asymptomatic chiropractic students does not significantly impact exercise science measures.